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Numerical simulations of subcritical reactor kinetics in thermal hydraulic transient phases

Abstract

A subcritical reactor driven by a linear proton accelerator has been considered as a nuclear waste incinerator at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). Since the multiplication factor of a subcritical reactor is less than unity, to compensate exponentially decreasing fission neutrons, external neutrons form spallation reactions are essentially required for operating the reactor in its steady state. Furthermore, the profile of accelerator beam currents is very important in controlling a subcritical reactor, because the reactor power varies in accordance to the profile of external neutrons. We have developed a code system to find numerical solutions of reactor kinetics equations, which are the simplest dynamic model for controlling reactors. In a due course of our previous numerical study of point kinetics equations for critical reactors, however, we learned that the same code system can be used in studying dynamic behavior of the subcritical reactor. Our major motivation of this paper is to investigate responses of subcritical reactors for small changes in thermal hydraulic parameters. Building a thermal hydraulic model for the subcritical reactor dynamics, we performed numerical simulations for dynamic responses of the reactor based on point kinetics equations with a source term. Linearizing a set of coupled differential equations  More>>
Authors:
Yoo, J; Park, W S [1] 
  1. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
Publication Date:
Dec 31, 1998
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
ETDE/KR-989732629; CONF-9805154-
Reference Number:
SCA: 220100; 220600; PA: KR-99:000336; EDB-99:035152; SN: 99002059963
Resource Relation:
Conference: The Korean Nuclear Society spring meeting, Seoul (Korea, Republic of), 29-30 May 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the korean nuclear society spring meeting vol I, May 29-30, 1998 Seoul, Korea; PB: 905 p.
Subject:
22 NUCLEAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY; SIMULATION; REACTOR KINETICS; TRANSIENTS; THERMAL ANALYSIS; HYDRAULICS; CRITICALITY; NUMERICAL ANALYSIS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; PROTONS; INCINERATORS; KAERI; MULTIPLICATION FACTORS; SPALLATION; REACTOR KINETICS EQUATIONS; ACCELERATORS
OSTI ID:
325243
Research Organizations:
Korean Nuclear Society, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
Country of Origin:
Korea, Republic of
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ON: DE99732629; TRN: KR9900336
Availability:
OSTI as DE99732629
Submitting Site:
KR
Size:
pp. 149-154
Announcement Date:
Apr 06, 1999

Citation Formats

Yoo, J, and Park, W S. Numerical simulations of subcritical reactor kinetics in thermal hydraulic transient phases. Korea, Republic of: N. p., 1998. Web.
Yoo, J, & Park, W S. Numerical simulations of subcritical reactor kinetics in thermal hydraulic transient phases. Korea, Republic of.
Yoo, J, and Park, W S. 1998. "Numerical simulations of subcritical reactor kinetics in thermal hydraulic transient phases." Korea, Republic of.
@misc{etde_325243,
title = {Numerical simulations of subcritical reactor kinetics in thermal hydraulic transient phases}
author = {Yoo, J, and Park, W S}
abstractNote = {A subcritical reactor driven by a linear proton accelerator has been considered as a nuclear waste incinerator at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). Since the multiplication factor of a subcritical reactor is less than unity, to compensate exponentially decreasing fission neutrons, external neutrons form spallation reactions are essentially required for operating the reactor in its steady state. Furthermore, the profile of accelerator beam currents is very important in controlling a subcritical reactor, because the reactor power varies in accordance to the profile of external neutrons. We have developed a code system to find numerical solutions of reactor kinetics equations, which are the simplest dynamic model for controlling reactors. In a due course of our previous numerical study of point kinetics equations for critical reactors, however, we learned that the same code system can be used in studying dynamic behavior of the subcritical reactor. Our major motivation of this paper is to investigate responses of subcritical reactors for small changes in thermal hydraulic parameters. Building a thermal hydraulic model for the subcritical reactor dynamics, we performed numerical simulations for dynamic responses of the reactor based on point kinetics equations with a source term. Linearizing a set of coupled differential equations for reactor responses, we focus our research interest on dynamic responses of the reactor to variations of the thermal hydraulic parameters in transient phases. 5 refs., 8 figs. (Author)}
place = {Korea, Republic of}
year = {1998}
month = {Dec}
}